Candles are supposed to be relaxing, but one woman's recent story may make you rethink your next run to the store to pick up your favorite scent. Yes, someone claimed that a Bath & Body Works candle "blew up" in their face when they tried to blow it out. Romper has reached out to company spokespersons for comment and is awaiting a response.
The woman in question, Ashley Brawley from Burleson, Texas, said that she was in the bathroom doing her hair Sunday afternoon when she smelled something burning. When she walked into her living room, a Bath & Body Works three-wick vanilla candle that she had lit earlier had larger than usual flames on it.
When she tried to blow out the flames, Brawley alleged that the flames got even bigger and burned her face. When her husband attempted to use water to put out the flames, the flames continued to get bigger. Eventually, he took the candle outside and it exploded into three different pieces.
In response to Brawley's story, and the alleged first and second degree burns on her face, the company issued a statement to NBC News saying:
We are very sorry that this happened and are taking this situation extremely seriously. The safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we are actively working to learn more details from the customer.
The product is not currently on any recall list and the company also alleges that "they do extensive testing under ‘rigorous burn conditions’ and meet all applicable industry and governmental standards."
According to Brawley, who caught the incident with a home surveillance system, the candle was burning for about 3 hours and 20 minutes. On the candle, it says to not let it burn for more than 3 to 4 hours. The instructions also say to not put water on the flame.
Brawley said:
A lot of people say "use the lid that was on the candle." As far as that goes, I could’ve done the lid but with six-inch flame, it was kind of hard. I feel like if I would’ve done that I would have burned my hand. I would’ve dropped it. Something would’ve caught on fire in the house.
Although the candle is not on the recall list, there are other reports on consumer safety websites of people complaining of a similar problem with the 3-wick candle. One person wrote on the Consumer Affairs review site that she had her candle lit for a few hours while hosting a party:
My smoke detector sounded in front of my bedroom door. My bedroom had smoke in it and the candle was on fire with the blaze at least 12 inches tall and coming out of every hole in the holder. It was extremely scary. It caught the hand towel on fire. I was able to extinguish the fire with a huge mess involved. How could a candle and candle holder catch on fire?
Until further notice from the company, it's probably best that people just follow the instructions for the candle and ensure that they don't burn too long and are always in sight. Play it safe, but don't give up your favorite household scents just yet.
